Maybe
by The Mrs.Ventimiglia
Summary: What if the diner scene in 1x06 had gone just a tad different? LukeLorelai. Complete.


**Title- Maybe (Because I'm too tired to be more creative.) **

**Summary- What if the diner scene in 1x06 had gone just a tad different? LukeLorelai **

**Pairings- Luke and Lorelai**

**Status- Complete**

**Disclaimer- Nothing! I own nothing! **

**Authors Note- Despite the fact I owe an update to **Friends Forever**, I had this idea pop into my head and had to play it out. It's not my best by far, but I'm trying to get back into a writing mood so I can finish my next chapter! Read and Review and hopefully I'll get another chapter of **Friends Forever** up ASAP. **

**A/N 2- Lately, as some other authors have pointed out, there hasn't been much GG fanfiction. While I know from experience that with classes beginning again it can be very hectic, I hope people are just taking a temporary break. I miss all the cute stories, even if they're only one-shots. **

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**-Luke and Lorelai- **

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_Lorelai: "Okay Burger Boy, dance." _

_Luke: "Will you marry me?" _

Lorelai blinks at his miraculously strait face in shock. Stuttering, she tries to think of a witty, flirty answer but for some reason, unbeknownst to her, she finds herself breathing out an almost silent, "Yes."

Luke's head snaps up so blue eyes met blue eyes. "What?" His face immediately twists to sheer shock and confusion as his breathing becomes labored. He weakly points a finger at her, feeling like he's put on some sort of autopilot and the only thing he can hear is her hushed answer, repeating itself over and over in his mind. "Did you just...?"

She shakes her head immediately, swallowing with great difficulty. "No," she says fiercely, almost unsurely, making it evident that she's not only trying to convince him of that, but herself as well. With a deer in the headlights expression, she still can't fathom what had exactly come out of her mouth just seconds before. Has she really just said _that_? Has she really answered 'Yes' to a proposal? A proposal to Luke? Without even thinking about it?

He ignores her, still dazed in confusion. "But you said..."

"No I didn't." Her defense is quick as she tries to stay calm. It's not like what he said meant anything. He only asked her to marry him. And she did _not_ want to marry Luke. Right? Of course not! They're only friends; that's all they are and all they will be. She does _not_ think of Luke in any way close to romantic. She just... can't.

She just doesn't know what had made her say 'Yes' in the first place.

She knows he qualifies for mostly all of her credentials in the romantic aspect of her life. She knows that he provides that comforting feeling. Like when she had broke down a few years back when Rory had had the chicken pox and she didn't know what to do, he had held her while she cried. That had been the first time she had ever allowed herself to show some type of weakness around him, and that was also the first time she had experienced that incredibly safe feeling by just being around him.

He cares for Rory, too. That's a very high mark in her book of standards. And he always has, no matter what the occasion or their status, he's always made it a point to care for Rory and look after her. She's always made sure that once she's involved with a man, other than the occasional date, that they would have to like Rory and Rory would have to feel the same way.

But she's not dating Luke. If she did date Luke, she and Rory would be eating at Al's in less than a year. She doesn't know why she assumes the relationship would fall apart so suddenly, maybe it's just because of her previous ones, her inability to commit. Maybe it's just an irrational fear of losing a meaningful friendship.

"But I heard you say..."

Denying it isn't working. Playing it innocent, however, has yet to be determined. "I didn't say anything."

He narrows his eyes, noticing the change in her tone as it lightens considerably. "Yes you did."

She bites on her lower lip in frustration. "Well you proposed in the first place." she retorts childishly, not quite sure how to label this discussion his fault at the time.

Cocking an eyebrow at her, he represses a small grin. "I was kidding."

She pauses, silently breathing a breath of relief. "And so was I,"

"Right," he says, teasingly skeptic, though the teasing part bypasses Lorelai, who immediately feels the need to come up with _some_, probably ridiculous, explanation.

"Why wouldn't I have been?" she asks, scoffing at him. "It's not like I'd ever want to marry you."

He'll never admit it out loud, but her words hurt him, a lot. Like a knife through the heart, a stab at the chest. That she will probably never think of their relationship more than the customer-proprietor level. Thinking that has him acknowledging his tightening chest, his slowly saddening face. Outwardly he recovers quickly though, and, to the untrained eye, appears to be unaffected by her opinion.

Lorelai, however, knows Luke. She probably knows him better than most, as he does her, too. She knows that when his face immediately changes to a stoically, it means something along the lines of him doing his best to cover up some emotion he didn't want to express. And that's exactly how he's acting at that precise moment.

She backtracks, hoping to recover from her previous, seemingly heartless, statement. "I didn't mean it like that," she says apologetically.

"Like what?" He's well aware of the double-meaning behind her words; he just isn't sure which she's talking about.

Lorelai sighs impatiently, staring down at the counter. "You know," she shrugs. "Like I'd never think of you in that sort of way,"

He looks up at her, his eyes, along with all other features, laden with shock. He's unsure how to respond. He decides to go with a simple, "Oh," making sure that he sounds a bit relieved, but still intrigued, giving her a chance to elaborate if she cared to.

"Yeah, I mean, not now, of course," Awkwardly, she clears her throat. "But if you want to, in the future, maybe," she shrugs a shoulder, trying to act careless about the entire conversation though she's fully aware that this just might be one of her most serious talks with Luke their complete friendship.

He nods slowly, not daring himself to let his grin show. "Maybe," He draws the word out as if he were contemplating the thought. He watches her attentively, taking comfort in the fact she's returning the gaze unflinchingly, a hint of a smile gracing her beautiful, delicate features. He uses this rarely given time wisely, studying her face, her smile, her eyes, everything about her, and stores it away for later, like when he might be having a bad day or if he can't sleep at night.

"Someday," she adds quietly, mirroring his thoughtful expression. While watching him, this is the exact moment she realizes how beautiful Luke's eyes really are. The deep shade, the way that if you look the right way, you can almost read what he's thinking. She can't remember ever experiencing something so terrifying yet so wonderful before. The way they seem to smile at her, without his lips moving an inch. The adoring, tender look meant for her eyes only. To her, it's fascinating.

Their staring contest ends abruptly as Rory waltzes in through the door. The bell loudly jingling and bringing them out of their trance. She appears to be slightly distracted as she makes her way over to the counter, smiling lightly as she sits down beside her mother. "So, how was shopping with Grandma?" she asks, oblivious to the serious conversation prior to her arrival.

Lorelai immediately turns to her daughter, smiling despite her bad timing. "Um," she begins unsurely, put off by the sudden question. "It was okay,"

"I told you that you were just being dramatic."

Lorelai nods, still a bit dazed as she turned to Luke who's continuing to stare at her intently. She smiles shyly at him, waking him from his quiet state.

He silently and subtly returns the grin before mechanically saying to both girls, "I'll go get your coffee."

Rory looks up at him, smiling. "Thanks, Luke." He nods, setting two mugs down in front of them. "So, Luke, do you want to come to my party this weekend?"

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